A Cog in the Wheel
As part of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) shut down directed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio (NOT Elon Musk), the agency employees who are currently overseas have been recalled back to the United States.
“This is a travesty! It’s unfair! It’s unnecessary!” These are the latest distracting outcries from those trying to protect the money laundering business that is USAID or from those so brainwashed by “the machine” they have forgotten what roles, responsibilities, and TRUE obligations those employees have.
First, they swore an oath to the United States of America. Not the other way around. Mission comes first, but USAID doesn’t get to determine the mission, State Department does under direction of the President. Second, those that are saying “Unless you worked with or in USAID, you have no idea,” I have news for you. First, I spent plenty of time working with USAID in Afghanistan and from my very FIRST exposure to one of their projects, I thought they were a colossal waste of money. Second, all the taxpayers in America are SEEING the list of projects that have NOTHING to do with International Development (the “I” and “D” in USAID) and we don’t see diplomacy and/or development. We see money being burned to further agendas that don’t line up with American values.
You see, many of these employees were counting on being overseas to work on their “projects” for an extended period of time. As a result, to save their own money while they are burning taxpayer dollars on useless stuff, many of them put their things into storage, canceled their leases, and sold their cars. No one told them they had to, they just did. Now, they are crying because they have to come back to the United States unexpectedly and have no support structure waiting for them.
Similarly, their brainwashed supporters who believe USAID is a charity organization or NGO think these projects have value. They also believe in USAID in its current configuration and mission set. They are defending the “institution” of USAID and not objectively looking at the abject failure in mission execution on BEHALF of the United States. In small numbers, they have vested interests in specific projects and can’t get beyond that or they may even have financial investment in some of the projects.
Hold on, it’s reality check time.
Any single one of these “projects” could have been canceled at any time for dozens of reasons. Clearly funding wasn’t one of them based on the BILLIONS of wasted dollars being found, but I digress. However, in underdeveloped or developing countries (that’s the “D” in USAID), security can go to shit in a heartbeat. Project canceled. Regime or governmental changes. Project canceled. New US ambassador assigned who has a different opinion. Project canceled.
New administration. Project canceled.
In any of these instances, the USAID employees could be returned to the United States. Would it be earlier than expected? Yes. Should they have some sort of personal support structure waiting for them? Yep. Anyone who works directly for a Federal Agency knows how volatile their life and their missions can be. That’s part of the job, like it or not. USAID has notified their direct employees the Agency will arrange for them to be returned to the United States within 30 days.
Many folks feel this is an injustice of sorts, including the people who work at USAID. I disagree.
When the DoD was downsized between 1990 and 1995, more than 500k uniformed personnel were cut from the roles. Some of those were lost by cutting enlistment opportunities. Some were told to get out. The number of Active Duty officers were cut by 23% between 1989 and 1996. They were given a check and told to go find another job. Many were unhappy, but they saluted and found something else. These were MASSIVE cuts in our defense structure. It was determined they were NO LONGER NEEDED after the wall came down and the Soviet Union collapsed.
The world changed. The mission changed. Those warriors weren’t kept around to save their feelings.
Anyone remember in 2006-07 when all the units in Iraq who were supposed to be there 12 months got extended to 15 or more? There were people who were halfway home, or already home, and got recalled BACK to Iraq. Does anyone remember all those service members who missed births, deaths, birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, and funerals because of multiple and repeated deployments? Do you know anyone who did deployments back-to-back in violation of DoD policy and got told “sorry”? Do you know anyone who had a marriage torn apart by one or multiple deployments? Do you know anyone who was injured? Killed? Lost a loved one? Had their mental or physical health destroyed?
I can’t tell you how many times I was told “That’s what you signed up for,” or “You volunteered. No one made you.” And they were right. I did volunteer. I did sign up. I signed up to be a Cog in the Wheel of the US Government, working for a government department, to further US interests abroad. That’s what I signed up for. So did an entire generation of warriors.
So did ALL those people in USAID. Cogs in the wheel. Furthering US interests abroad. At the discretion of the President. PERIOD.
These “projects” are not your personal crusade. They are not your personal anything. They are government work at government direction paid for with government money. You may believe in them, and you may dedicate your time and effort and blood, sweat, and tears to them, but they are NOT yours. You don’t own them.
Just like all those warriors through the ENTIRE War on Terror; your life can change in a second for any number of reasons. No one told you to sign up for USAID. No one made you. You volunteered. If you don’t have a backup plan, that’s on YOU. Stop distracting from the facts of what is being found BEHIND the curtain at USAID.
Sorry if you don’t hear any sympathy or empathy in my tone. Any overseas USAID employee who believes they are being wronged somehow doesn’t understand REALLY who they are.
They are a Cog in the Wheel.